Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, is back in the news. Did it really ever leave? This drug has been very controversial largely because of the major push by its manufacturer, Merck and Co., to make it mandatory for young women. As many as 39 state legislators are considering the vaccine as a requirement for school-age girls in much the same way that MMR immunization is now required.

But reported complications may be giving legislators pause. As many as 20 deaths from drug reactions and 140 “serious” reports of complications have been associated with Gardasil vaccinations. These include about 35 classified as life threatening and half a dozen cases of Guillian-Barre Syndrome, where the patient experiences progressive paralysis. These complications are part of the nearly 9,000 Vaccine Adverse Event Reports collected by the FDA.

Critics of the movement toward mandatory vaccination of school-age girls point out that the drug will not even be fully tested for safety until 2009, and it is not yet clear how long immunity will last in those who are vaccinated as youths. I wonder if in our zeal to attack the scourge of HPV-related cervical cancer, that we may be pushing out a solution before it is fully tested. And given that girls as young as 11 or 12 may receive the vaccine, it is important that the safety and effectiveness data be given sufficient time to present a full picture.

I would want to see a good deal more of data about the safety and effectiveness of Gardasil before I recommend it.